


Resonance: The Kanto Chapter

by Lunalyst



Series: Resonance [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: FireRed & LeafGreen | Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe, Basically magical powers (with a reason kind of) happen, Fluff, Gen, and a bit of angst, if the protagonists of Pokemon could actually talk to their Pokemon, mostly just friendship, romance is only very slightly hinted
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:07:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27285385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunalyst/pseuds/Lunalyst
Summary: When Red moved into Pallet town, he didn’t think he would befriend a happy girl who was the embodiment of sunshine and a boy with a mouth sharper than knives. What he knew though, was that one day he would get a Pokémon and travel through Kanto like every trainer.But the moment he met his first partner, everything changed.Or,If the protagonists of every Pokémon game could understand Pokémon.
Relationships: Leaf & Ookido Green | Blue Oak & Red, Leaf & Red (Pokemon), Leaf/Ookido Green | Blue Oak, Leaf/Ookido Green | Blue Oak/Red, Leaf/Red (Pokemon), Ookido Green | Blue Oak & Red, Ookido Green | Blue Oak/Red, Red and his team
Series: Resonance [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1992232
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	1. Red: I

In the Pokémon world, there were many strange stories. Stories of one Pokémon that created the universe, stories that humankind managed to create one out of the legendary Mew, stories that spread far and wide until no one was sure what was real or fake anymore.

There was one story though, that was the strangest out of them all. That story spoke of people and Pokémon communicating through words, that they could clearly understand each other without any kind of barrier. Some even claimed that they could speak with their minds, understand each other more than any two beings ever could. It was more of a dream, a wish than reality, and not many people believed in that.

But every story had a truth, and this one was no different.

* * *

Pallet Town was a quaint little place. Despite Professor Oak’s lab residing there, there were no other major sights to see, so there were hardly any visitors. It was peaceful, quiet, and more importantly, perfect for raising a family.

So, when Delia decided to move to Pallet Town, she was sure that her little boy would grow up to be strong and healthy. Hopefully, he would finally make some friends this time. She sent a glance to her son who was gripping onto the hem of her pants.

“Come on Red,” she coaxed her son gently. “Try talking to them. I’m sure they’re friendly!”

Red’s grip tightened. Delia let out a small sigh, looking on to the small field of flowers in front of their house. There, in the small meadow, were two children; a boy and a girl. They were chatting casually, the girl expertly weaving flowers into a crown while the boy was laying on the ground, his arms crossed behind his head. They seemed absorbed in each other, but Delia wasn’t blind to how they looked over in their direction every so often. She hid a smile when the girl stood up and made her way towards them; maybe this time, she didn’t have to do anything after all.

The small girl with brown hair skipped right up to Delia and Red.

“Hi! I’m Green!” She bowed cutely, her smile bright and bubbly. “Are you my new neighbors? Mommy told me to say hi when I see them!”

Delia laughed. What a sweet girl! “Hello to you too, Green. This is my son, Red! He’s really shy and doesn’t talk so much, but I hope you’ll get along with him.”

Green craned her neck to look at the hiding boy. Red peeked out from under his red and white cap, his hazel eyes glimmering with curiosity. Green grinned brightly and approached him. Revealing the flower crown she had behind her back, she held it out to him in a flourish.

“Hi! I’m Green! Do you wanna play with me and angry face over there? I’ll give you this if you say yes!”

Red glanced up to meet his mother’s eyes. Delia nodded, gently nudging him forward with her hand. Although still hesitant, Red finally let go of her pants and stepped forward, his hands behind his back nervously. Green giggled and put the crown over his cap, grabbing his arm in the process.

“Come on! Let’s go, Red!”

A surprised gasp escaped from Red’s mouth, and he was pulled forward as Green ran towards the other boy. Said boy, who she would come to know as Blue, looked a little put off at a newcomer entering their duo, but for some reason Delia had a feeling everything would turn out alright.

As she watched the spiky haired brunette rolling his eyes before sitting up to greet them, she sensed the start of something beautiful.

* * *

Green was like the sun, Red thought. She was bright, happy and willing to talk to any kind of person. She never judged him for not speaking at all during their early childhood days, and somehow knew what he wanted to say just by looking at his expressions. When he was around her, he felt warm. He wasn’t completely sure what the warmth meant, but if Green was the sun, it all made sense.

Blue, on the other hand, was like a storm. Expressive, full of emotion whether good or bad, and he was the complete opposite of Red. He never seemed to run out of things to say. To be honest, Red did find that annoying at times, but between his silent self and Blue’s arrogant one, they balanced each other out well. Especially since Blue always seemed to butt heads with Green. Red naturally settled into the mediator role, being the one to stop them from throwing punches at each other.

He had friends, and their time together was special to him. Red never wanted to let that disappear.

* * *

The first time he felt it, he thought it was a dream.

_Thump. Thump._

When he met eyes with the tiny little lizard with a flame on its tail, he knew that it felt it too.

 _“Char!!”_ It – no, he – cried out, running into Red’s arms. Red instinctively held him close, lowering his head to whisper into the Pokémon’s ears.

“…Red.”

It was the start of everything.

* * *

Unknown to him, his eyes flashed a bright crimson, only for a second.

* * *

_“The first gym’s a rock type?! What are we gonna do, Master?!”_

_“Master, Master! Did I do well? Did I? I think I blew that Caterpie away, yeah!”_

_“Master, Master, look look! I got an oran berry! I’ll just torch it up real quick and we can have dinner together, right?”_

His first Pokémon, a Charmander nicknamed Char, was a hyper one. Not that he minded it, after all, being separated from both Blue and Green meant that he would be alone with his thoughts, and his thoughts…sometimes weren’t exactly the best place to be. Char filled in the blanks. Char was happy, energetic, optimistic. He was Red’s sun, just like how Green was.

One quiet night, Red couldn’t go to sleep. He had stayed awake looking at the stars in Viridian forest, trying to make some sense out of them. Green had told him that the stars told stories of old. He tried to rack his brain to remember some. He couldn’t.

Char, noticing that Red wasn’t sleeping, decided to keep his new friend company.

 _“Master?”_ Char jumped up onto the tree stump Red was leaning on, rubbing his muzzle on the boy’s cheek. _“Are you okay? I heard that humans need sleep to move the next day. I don’t want Master to be tired.”_

Red closed his eyes, reaching up to gently pat Char’s head. Char crooned happily. Although his trainer rarely talked, Char realized that he didn’t need to speak to communicate. His kindness towards Pokémon, the way his mouth quirked up when they won a battle; everything about him was so easy to read in Char’s eyes. The other humans…not so much though. All the trainers they battled so far had made comments behind his trainer’s back. After they won (which of course they did, they were strong!), Red merely tipped his hat downwards and went on his way, not saying anything, and that didn’t sit well with many. One even had the guts to say his Master was creepy, which took all of Char not to pounce and fire an ember at the youngster.

He almost did, but Red had bent down and scooped him up, whispering in a voice only he could hear.

“It’s okay.”

He was saying the same thing now, Char realized. Instead of words, it was just with actions. Char liked that.

Red continued silently petting Char, and the Pokémon eventually fell asleep. His hand paused when a rustle in the bushes caught his attention. He raised his gaze to see curious brown eyes staring back at him, and a yellow creature slowly crawled out of hiding. Its ears twitched, nose crinkling.

“Pika?”

Red stared at it. It stared back. Red blinked. It blinked. Red reached out the hand that wasn’t occupied, and the Pikachu glanced at the hand that was gently stroking Char’s head.

It seemed to get the idea that Red wanted to do the same to it, so it purred gently and crawled forward. It softly pressed its nose to Red’s hand and licked it, nuzzling it in glee.

The edges of Red’s lips curled up, and he spoke.

“Red.”

His heart thumped, and he felt a pulse similar to his come from the Pikachu.

_“Pika!”_

* * *

Lavender town was not as creepy as Red had heard. He was told stories of the Pokémon Tower on the way there and how it was haunted, dooming the entire town as well. He had brushed them off as mere rumors, despite how Pika practically vibrated on his shoulder with fright.

_“R-R-R-Red, I really, really, really, really think we should go back! Back to the town with lots of electricity! I don’t like the mean Raichu that army dude had, but I can bear another fight with him! I promise!!”_

Red shook his head. Pika groaned, watering his eyes and making them as big as possible.

_“Please, please, please, PLEASE!”_

A voice came from Char’s Pokéball. _“Pika! Stop whining, Master already decided our destination, so we’re going to follow him! Understood?”_

_“But Char-”_

_“No buts!”_

Red rubbed his head. As much as he loved his two teammates, their energetic personalities sometimes gave him a headache. Pika noticed this action and quieted down, although he was looking away with a pout, his tail still trembling. Red sighed and lightly rubbed the top of Pika’s head in apology, to which the Pokémon tried his best to resist, but to no avail.

The town itself was a little gloomy, but it didn’t seem haunted. Just slightly devoid of people. After healing his team at the Pokémon Center, Red saw a small building with a sign that said, ‘Lavender Volunteer Pokémon House’. Curious, he entered it, only to be met with something crashing furiously into him.

“Mr. Fuji, I knew you’d be ba-!”

The little girl that was hugging his torso looked up with teary eyes, only to see that it wasn’t who she was expecting. Red blinked down at her in confusion. The girl’s face turned a bright pink as she hurriedly let go of Red, bowing down profusely.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize – oh my god, I can’t believe I just hugged a random person!”

Red held out his hands in an attempt to show that he was fine.

Pika squeaked. _“Wow, that was a pretty strong tackle! Is she a Pokémon? Can I battle her, Red?”_

Red shook his head. Unfortunately, the girl thought that he was angry at her, so she started sniffling, and before he knew it, she was bawling her eyes out.

“I-I-I’m so – so – WAAAH!”

He felt a rush of panic sweep over him. He rarely ever panicked, he had never lost his composure in a Pokémon battle even once, but here he was, absolutely floored to how he should calm a crying girl. He looked around for somebody that could help him, but the only thing he saw were other Pokémon hiding behind furniture, curious gazes directed at them. He wished he could approach them, but he didn’t know if it was wise to leave the girl alone. He tried to think of any girls that he knew that would be of help, and Green popped into his mind.

Green would know, she was good with people. But sadly, there was no Green in sight, and he honestly didn’t know if he could copy her. Right now, there were only three males who had no idea how to handle a girl, and it didn’t look good.

_“Red, she’s crying! What do we do?! Should I squeak? Do backflips? HOW DO WE MAKE IT STOP?!”_

_“Master, try petting her head! It works for us, it should work for her too, shouldn’t it?!”_

He didn’t know. Green rarely cried, she was always happy. Or angry when Blue was involved. She always fought back when Blue said mean things.

Pika slapped Red’s cheek, snapping him out of his shock. _“Red, do something!!”_

He did something.

He knelt down and reached out a hand, patting her. She wailed for a few moments more, but Red’s gentle strokes through her hair caught her attention. She quieted down a little, sniffs coming out instead. She looked up with her eyes red and nose drippy, despite her best efforts to wipe them off. Red dug into his bag and pulled out a packet of tissues.

She accepted them thankfully, blowing her nose and drying her tears. Red let out a sigh of relief, rubbing his hands over his eyes.

“T-thank you mister,” she said, her voice cracking as she hiccupped. “I’m so sorry. I-I didn’t mean to cry like that, but with Mr. Fuji gone and no one to help me take care of these kids, it’s been really hard…”

Red tilted his head. The girl continued. “Mr. Fuji is the owner of this place, but after he said he’s going to talk to this bunch of weirdos – um, I think they called themselves Team Rocket – and left, he hasn’t come back. It’s been three days already, and I’m so worried…”

Red patted her head once more. Her cheeks flushed as she bowed. “Thank you again, mister. I’m really sorry for bothering you…”

Red shook his head and stood up, looking at his surroundings once more. There were many more Pokémon than he had first seen; Pidgey, Psyduck, Nidoran and Nidorino, and a little more. Their soft chatter reached his ears, and he tried his best to make them out, which for some reason, was a lot easier to do after he bonded with Pika in the Viridian Forest.

_“-weird guy- “_

_“-stranger danger –”_

_“Head…pain…”_

_“Mr. Fuji–”_

Pika jumped off his shoulders and tilted his head at the creatures. They flinched backwards, as if afraid of him. Pika didn’t seem to mind though.

_“You guys live here?”_

The crowd looked at each other before a Nidorino stepped forward, his eyes sharp and glaring. Red noticed that the top of his horn was snapped off. _“Yeah, what of it, little mouse?”_

_“Who’s Mr. Fuji? Your trainer?”_

A Pidgey twittered angrily. _“Trainer? Don’t you dare insult our dear caretaker with such a degrading title as that! Mr. Fuji is a very kind man with a big heart! He takes in any kind of Pokémon who were abandoned and nurses them back to health! He isn’t like any barbarian who would force us to fight each other!”_

Red winced, gripping the helm of his cap to pull it slightly over his eyes. Hearing those cries right in front of him, Red didn’t know how to feel.

Pika growled lowly, his fangs starting to poke out. _“Watch it there, birdy. Remember, I’m a mouse. I eat birds for breakfast.”_

The Pidgey looked confused. Red held his head in his hands for a second, before he knelt and whispered to Pika.

“Opposite.”

 _“-Huh? You mean mice don’t eat birds??”_ Pika look genuinely confused. Red shook his head.

Pika looked forward once more, going on all fours. _“Well, I’m an electric type, so I beat flying type anyway so HAH TAKE THAT.”_

The Nidoran whispered softly in her tiny voice. _“…Is his head okay?”_

The Pidgey scoffed, turning his beak away. _“Who cares about some rodent, what I want to know is when Mr. Fuji will be back! He’s been gone for days, and I’ve missed at least ten grooming sessions!”_

Psyduck mumbled something out before falling on his face. Pidgey snapped at him in irritation. _“And Ducky, would you please stop complaining about your headache? You’re giving me one as well!”_

 _“…Pokémon Tower…”_ Ducky muttered out, holding his head in pain. _“Mr. Fuji…”_

All the Pokémon stopped at once, turning to look at the water Pokémon. Then the voices all came at once, almost tearing Red’s eardrums.

_“WHAT?! HOW–”_

_“Why is he there?! Is he okay?!”_

_“Please Ducky, you have to tell us more-”_

_“Oh Mr. Fuji–”_

Red covered his ears, his eyes closed tightly. Pika looked confused, looking around for some kind of explanation. It wasn’t long until they got one, because a loud voice bellowed out.

_“QUIET!”_

From the tone, Red assumed that the cry was from a female. The small crowd of Pokémon around Ducky parted to reveal a small, brown Pokémon. Red looked at her in fascination. She growled and marched forward, her ears twitching. There were a number of scars coating her skin, and some patches of fur were missing from her body as well. The fluff around her neck seemed thinner as well. Even the tip of her right ear looked like it was chewed off.

She was the boss, their leader.

The Eevee stopped in front of Ducky, her frown deepening. _“Ducky, did you say Mr. Fuji is in the Pokémon Tower?”_

Ducky let out a moan, but he managed to bob his head up and down. The Eevee seemed satisfied at that, and she turned around to meet Red’s eyes. She scowled fiercely, her tone sharp and clear as she spoke.

 _“Human, you can understand us, can’t you?”_ She narrowed her eyes, her paw digging into the floor, her sharp nails showing. _“Well?”_

Red nodded. She looked satisfied, albeit a little surprised as well. _“Strange, but that is not important right now. I will make a request of you; take me to the Pokémon Tower this instant. I must aid Mr. Fuji in case of danger, but I do not want to worry Mimi as well. If you tell her that you will take care of me for a short while, she should allow it. I beg of you.”_

The Eevee then bowed her head. Shocked was the only word that could describe Red’s feelings; he had never seen a Pokémon make such a human-like gesture before. Even Char had no idea what that meant, except for asking for head pats. This Eevee was special. She was brave and humble, but not without pride.

Red felt his heart thump.

He put his hand on his chest. A warmth danced across his body, making his heart thud loudly. A sense of lightness and excitement, but nervousness as well. It was exhilarating.

He held out his hand, and softly patted the top of the Eevee’s head. Her fur was a little rough, but there was a tinge of softness to it as well.

His heart thumped once more, and he felt a similar pulse travel up his arm to his chest.

“…Red.”

He waited for her to introduce herself, but there was nothing. Red took off his hand to look at the Eevee in concern. Her face was beet red, her eyes impossibly wide, and her mouth was ajar.

_“Wha-wha-”_

_“Vee’s blushing!”_

_“Aw, so cute!”_

_“Vee, you’re adorable!”_

Teasing chirps could be heard from the small crowd, and she snapped her head back to glare at them. _“I am not – shut it! Shut it all of you!!”_

Red smiled and tilted his head. “Vee?”

She flipped around to look at him, her face still dyed pink. _“What?!”_

He dipped his head to hide the growing smirk. “Cute.”

He was tackled to the ground by a furiously growling fluffball.

* * *

He ran into Green and Blue in the Pokémon Tower, and despite a lot of bickering, they were a great help.

There were more Rocket members than Red had expected. Even with a new addition to his team, three Pokémon were hardly enough to take on an entire group. Luckily, thanks to his friends, they managed to team up and did a triple battle (was that a thing? He wasn’t so sure) and drove the crooks away.

He frowned at the thought. When he first saw them at Mt. Moon, he didn’t expect that they’d be this much trouble. With the incident in Cerulean as well, it seemed like he would be encountering them more than he’d prefer. At least he wasn’t alone this time, he knew he could rely on Green, and despite his moodiness, Blue was a strong trainer.

When they finally beat the last members of the group, Red managed to meet the infamous Mr. Fuji. Vee had run to him at the sight of his tired figure, nuzzling into his arms as she yipped. Contrary to Pika’s belief, Red was not jealous because she didn’t let him pet her anymore. No Char, he was not angry at her either. Just…lonely.

Mr. Fuji had thanked them rapidly, inviting all of them to take a break at his Volunteer House. Blue was almost about to decline, but a glare from Green convinced him to go along. The three of them ended up spending an entire night at Mr. Fuji’s home, talking, chatting, just like regular eleven-year-old children. They even let all their Pokémon out, since there was quite some space.

“Blue, stop hogging all the meat, you greedy bully!”

“Hah, you better hurry up if you want to have some then, slowpoke!”

“Oh, you little–”

_“Red, Red, this snack’s delicious! Hey, Vee, do you know what this is?”_

_“It’s called a Poffin. Mr. Fuji got them from a place called Sinnoh, I think. I don’t know, I’ve never been there.”_

_“Oh, cool! Char, come on, try some of these!”_

_“Hey, let me in on the fun too!”_

_“Oh, Clefy! Yeah, yeah, these dry ones are the best! Have some!”_

Red looked on with a smile, chewing on his own portion of rice. He was glad that his Pokémon had time to interact with others too. He briefly scanned his friends’ Pokémon. Blue had a Pidgeotto, an Exeggcute, a Growlithe, a Kadabra, and of course his starter, his Wartotle.

Green, on the other hand, had a Clefable, a Haunter, a Weepinbell, a Vulpix and Ivysaur. To his memory, Green did nickname her Pokémon, but he hadn’t asked her yet. He probably should, then again, he could just ask them himself.

Green noticed Red staring at her, so she ceased fire with Blue and turned to look at him. “Red? What’s wrong?”

He gestured to her Pokémon. Green’s eyes lit up, and she clasped her hands together. “Right! I forgot to introduce you to my team, come here guys! Line up!”

Her Pokémon responded to her voice, and they followed her orders obediently. Green got up from the couch and cleared her throat, holding her arms out in a flourish.

“Well then my adoring audience, let me tell you about my dear partners!”

“No one wants to hear-”

Red shushed the brown-haired boy.

“Did you just shush me–”

“Yay! Tell us, tell us Green!” Mimi, the little girl Red had run into before, clapped her hands next to Mr. Fuji, who was chuckling as he brushed Pidgey’s feathers.

Green grinned and gestured to her Ivysaur. “First up, Saury! As you know, he’s been my dear partner from the beginning, haven’t you?”

Saury yawned widely, but sent a content smile to Blue’s way, one of his vines curling around Blue’s wrist in comfort. Blue patted the vine affectionally before moving on. “And this is Haunty, a mischievous little one, aren’t you? And next to him is Bell, my Weepinbell, Pixy, my cute little Vulpix, and of course, Clefy! Oh yeah, because of Pika, Clefy doesn’t like being in the ball anymore, so, thanks for that, Red!”

She winked at him, teasingly. Red tipped his cap in a half-hearted apology. Pika crooned at his side, nudging Red with his paw.

_“Red, Red, pat me! Please?”_

Red did as Pika asked of him. Not long after, Char requested he receive some head pats too, so both of Red’s hands soon became occupied. He tuned his ears onto the conversation Green’s Pokémon were having, trying to get a feel of their personalities. In the background, he could hear Blue and Green arguing about something again.

 _“Mistress, I don’t see why we have to do everything so flashily,”_ Bell whimpered, hiding her face behind her leaves. _“I just want to hide in a field of flowers…”_

 _“Hihihi, so these are the boys little Miss was talking about, huh?”_ Haunty cackled, eyeing Red and Blue. _“The spiky one looks like fun. I wonder if he’ll like a small spook tonight?”_

 _“Don’t cause trouble for Mistress, Haunty!”_ Pixy huffed up at the floating ghost.

 _“Pixy’s right, Haunty,”_ Saury chimed in from his resting position. _“Green isn’t going to be happy if you mess up Mr. Fuji’s place.”_

 _“Saury’s got a point, but I think we can have some fun! Just don’t hurt anybody, and Green should be okay with it, right?”_ Clefy chimed in, clapping her paws together.

Red pulled up the collar of his vest to hide a smile. Green’s Pokémon were lively. Just like her.

“-FINE! If you wanna see them so bad, I’ll do it!” Blue’s frustrated voice echoed throughout the room. He marched up next to Green and whistled. “Team, assemble!”

Green huffed and sat down next to Red, her Pokémon curiously looking on at the new spectacle. Now, it was Blue who was standing in front of them, his hand flicking away his hair as his team stood behind him.

“Red, Green, and just for the sake of it, little girl and old man over there! Listen to me carefully, cause I’m only gonna do this once!”

Green cupped her hands around her mouth. “Hurry up, showoff!”

“Shut up, Green, it’s my turn!” Blue snapped. “Staring from the right as you all can see, is my Pidgeotto! He’s the one that totally creamed Red’s Charmander when he was just a Pidgey! Then Growlithe, he’s a newbie, but he’s pretty good. Exeggcute, I just caught him too, but I’m sure he’s a thousand times cooler than Red. Kadabra, who kicked Green’s Weepinbel’s ass just a few days ago, and Wartortle, who killed Red’s Charmeleon!” He looked satisfied, crossing his arms as he stared down at them.

“You don’t nickname them?” Green asked, petting Pixy on her lap.

Blue looked at her like she was an idiot. “Why do I have to? They follow my orders and respond properly; I don’t need names to tell them apart from other Pokémon.”

Green rolled her eyes. “Well yeah of course, but they’re your partners! Don’t you feel bad for them?”

Blue looked irritated now. “Hey, I have my own set of rules. Don’t shove your butt in everything, Greenie!”

“I told you to stop–”

Red stood up, carrying Pika in his arms with Char by his side. He walked up to Blue’s Pokémon, tipping his hat in greeting. He had seen them fairly often; Blue always challenged him to a fight the moment they crossed paths after all. He noticed that he had swapped a member out though, the Raticate he used to have was no longer present.

 _“It’s a pleasure to see you again, mister Red,”_ Pidgeotto chirped.

 _“Yip, yip! Hi, new friend, how are you?”_ Growlithe barked in a friendly tone.

 _“So…you the guy boss’s always talking about?”_ Exeggcute looked up at skeptically. _“You don’t seem like much to me.”_

 _“Master Red,”_ Kadabra greeted, saying nothing more.

 _“Hey Red, Char,”_ Wartotle mumble awkwardly, shifting to the side. _“Sorry for our Master. Again.”_

 _“Hey guys,”_ Char waved a claw. _“It’s been two, three days? I’m glad that you’re all doing fine.”_

Pika, on the other hand, wasn’t as civil. _“Heyyy Pidgeotto, didya recover from the shock I gave you? It was a pretty good bolt wasn’t it??”_

The bird looked mildly insulted, but to be honest, he always looked like that. He was definitely Blue’s Pokémon.

Red stood next to Blue, holding Pika up for his audience to see. Blue’s team got the hint and shuffled to the side, but the trainer himself was confused as to what Red was doing.

“Red, what are you–”

Green reached over and pulled Blue into the spot next to her. “Sit down, it’s Red’s turn!”

“Wha – stop pulling on me – am I the only one who can’t tell what Red’s thinking?!”

Red put a finger to his lips. Blue frowned at him unhappily but complied with a grumble. Green clapped loudly, as did Mimi who was cheering on for him.

Red tapped the side of Pika’s stomach.

 _“I’m Pika! Nice to meet you, human beings I don’t know the names of!”_ Pika greeted the crowd. Red shook his head, that wasn’t the best way to address his audience. Red pointed to Blue, whispering in a volume only Pika could hear.

“Blue.”

To Green. “Green.”

To Mimi and Mr. Fuji. “Mimi, Mr. Fuji.”

Pika got the hint. _“Oops, sorry folks! Hiya Blue, Green, Mimi and Mr. Fuji! I’m Pika!”_

Red nodded, satisfied. He looked down to Char next, who puffed out his chest.

_“And I’m Master’s starter and his strongest Pokémon! Please call me Char!”_

_“Hey, strongest? That can’t be true!”_

_“Master raised me first, Pika!”_

_“That’s not fair, you met him faster than I did!”_

Red quickly diffused the situation by patting both of their heads. They purred gently at his magic touch, and ceased fighting, if not for a little while. He then looked around the room, trying to spot one little creature.

He met her brown eyes from across the room. She was sitting in the corner, observing them. His eyebrows furrowed together, and he held out a hand towards her. She stared him down, her sharp gaze narrowing even more.

He wasn’t going to give up. He knew he wanted her the moment they met. And more of all, he knew that she felt the same. The resonance they felt at that time wasn’t a fluke, nor was it his imagination. After experiencing it for the third time, he was sure of it.

He opened his mouth, his voice finally heard by everyone in the room.

“Vee.”

She pursed her lips, but found her body moving according to his voice. Her paws tentatively made their way towards Red before she stopped at his feet. She was hesitating, he could feel it.

Pika jumped out of Red’s arms and climbed onto his shoulder. Char stepped closer to Red, his tail curling around Red’s arm. Red knelt, holding his arms out for her.

 _“Come on Vee!”_ Pika called out, a shining grin on his face.

 _“I promise you; Master will treat you with love and care,”_ Char declared. _“As he does for us.”_

Vee stared at them. Red nodded, pouring his feelings towards her, hoping that she felt how genuine his emotions were.

She stepped forward, into his arms, and hesitantly, ever so slightly, pressed her nose to Red’s chest.

 _“…Red,”_ she murmured softly.

Red brought her to his chest, hugging her gently as he stood up to see his crowd. They were staring at him in various emotions, awe being the most prominent. He gestured to the bundle of fluff in his arms.

“Vee.”

He looked around him, seeing his team all let out cries of their own.

“Mine.”

He smiled.

* * *

A lot happened over the past few months. If it wasn’t for Pika accidentally shocking Red every other morning, he would think everything was a dream.

After being confronted by Green the day after their sleepover at Lavender Town, he had admitted to her that he could, in fact, talk to Pokémon. It all started when he met Char at the lab, and when he met Pika, it became so much easier talking to Pokémon in general. He didn’t know what it was, but it probably had to do with the mysterious pulse he felt when he touched them. He got more information about it when Mr. Fuji had given him the Pokéflute. Mr. Fuji had told Red that there were stories of people actually exchanging words with Pokémon, though they were very, very rare.

It was a shame that Blue left earlier than them, he didn’t get to hear Mr. Fuji’s story. Then again, he probably wouldn’t be very interested anyway.

After Lavender, there came his new addition to his team, Snor, the Snorlax that was blocking Route 11. He woke the big Pokémon up with the flute and defeated him in a battle as the Pokémon was very grumpy at having been woken up. When Snor slumped down, defeated and hungry, Red had tossed the Snorlax all the berries in his bag, which in turn, caused the Pokémon to actually look at Red properly. Red felt the connection when he patted the Snorlax’s paw, and it turned out the Pokémon felt the same.

Celadon was next. Thanks to Char, Erica wasn’t too hard to beat. It was the incident that occurred after that gave him a problem. Team Rocket’s hideout under the Game Corner was a dungeon he did not expect to run into. Thanks to his strong team, he managed to blaze his way through until he met the boss, Giovanni, for the first time. He managed to defeat him in a close battle; Snor really pulled through in that fight. Team Rocket fled after the defeat of their boss, but Red had a feeling he would be seeing them soon.

He made his way to Fuchsia City next. During their trek around the Safari Zone, Vee had defeated a particularly strong looking Tauros and a light overtook her body to reveal her new form, an Espeon. Pika had teased her endlessly, saying that her love for Red was what changed her. Vee slapped him in the face with a particularly strong Psychic, a new move she learned, with a red face. She threatened to do the same to Red if he didn’t stop trying to hug her. He gave up reluctantly, but she did snuggle up to him a few nights after they beat Koga. 

A few days later, he headed into Saffron City. Silph Co. was a hassle. He ran into Giovanni again, and defeated him in another dangerously close battle. It was thanks to Char, who evolved into a Charizard, and his new Lapras he received from a researcher in the company, Lass. He also ran into Blue in between. He was challenged once again, but for some reason, he felt like Blue was observing him more than usual. Blue, surprisingly, healed Red’s team after and left with a few choice words that bordered on insulting and encouraging.

Needless to say, Red was confused. Apparently, so was Pika, Char and Vee.

They beat Sabrina soon after the whole conflict was resolved, and he started his long trek to Cinnabar to beat Blaine. After a couple of incidents of Pika almost drowning, Char being dangerously close to death despite his new wings, and Lass snapping at them to keep quiet when Red was trying to catch some winks on her back, they finally made it to Cinnabar. Red remembered Green telling him about a region that was practically 70 percent full of water routes. He’d better stay clear of that place then.

He met Green when he was scouting out the Pokémon Mansion, and they teamed up briefly. They caught up on their adventures; Green had just barely managed to beat Sabrina, and she was worried that her Pokémon wouldn’t be good with Blaine, considering that Saury was her strongest, and he was a grass type. Red did his best to reassure her, well, it was more Pika than Red, but his intentions were there. She laughed when he translated what Pika and Clefy said to her, so he counted that as a win. After a lot of careful investigating, they found journal entries about an artificial Pokémon created from the genes of Mew, Mewtwo. What was more surprising was that that scientist was Mr. Fuji. Sadly, there was nothing on the journal that implied about Red’s mysterious powers (“Resonance,” Green had joked. “A cool name for a cool power, don’t you think?”).

They bid each other goodbye after they left, Green saying that she was going to go train for a while. Red challenged Blaine the day after, and Lass pulled through along with Snor. He was incredibly proud of his team, and he made sure to feed them the tastiest berries he had.

Although they ran into some trouble in the Sevii Islands and such, Red was able to make his way back to Viridian, where he challenged the final gym leader. Imagine his shock when he found out the identity of the leader.

It was a rough battle. Red was almost crushed until Char managed to land a critical hit on Giovanni’s Nidoking, knocking her out. The Pokémon cries from Giovanni’s team did a number on Red. Never did he face an opponent where the screams of the other team affected his mental state so badly. They were in pain, not just from Red’s attacks, but from how Giovanni treated them as well. The man said that he would disband Team Rocket after his defeat, but Red wanted to give the adult a good kick in the nuts for being a horrible person. Too bad he was too tired to; at least Char had said some of the things he wanted to say.

He needed a few days to fully recover. His power – his Resonance – was a curse as much as a blessing. Red came to realize that understanding the words of Pokémon wasn’t always such a good thing on his journey, and the battle with Giovanni sealed his confirmations.

_“Red, Red, are you okay? Do you need more sleep? A small shock?”_

_“Master, lie down for a while, I will get some berries!”_

_“…Here, I got you some water, Red.”_

_“Master, you can sleep on my belly! A lot of Pokémon love to.”_

_“Master, shall I sing a song? It’s one that my mother used to sing me, and it always aided me in getting through some…difficult situations.”_

He felt their concern, their kindness and generosity seep into his bones. He could feel what they felt, and after three days, he managed to get to his feet and restart his journey.

He had all eight gym badges. It was finally time to challenge the League.

On his way to the Indigo Plateau, he ran into Green. He wanted to tell her everything he had been through, but she was acting strange. She had challenged him to a battle, the first time she did honestly, and he was so surprised at how different she seemed. He didn’t hold back, but seeing the dark look on her face afterwards nearly had him falling over. She looked crushed, broken, nothing like the Green he knew, but before he could do anything, she sent him a tight smile and told him good luck with the League, running off immediately after.

Troubled by his friend’s reaction, he thought of chasing after her, but he had no idea what to say. So, he pushed forward instead, opting to give her some space to calm down. Going through Victory Road was easy, his team was perfect. He knew he only had five Pokémon, but they were enough. They could do it.

And that was exactly what they did.

The Elite Four stood no chance against him. Pika’s thunderbolts, Char’s ferocious flames, Vee’s powerful psychic abilities, Snor’s heavy hits and Lass’s precise attacks blasted through the walls of the powerful. Red marched on at a swift pace, finally standing in front of the door that would lead him to the champion.

Imagine his surprise when a pair of glaringly sharp eyes met his gaze.

Blue.

“Hey, I was looking forward to seeing you, Red. While working on my Pokédex, I looked all over for powerful Pokémon. Not only that, I assembled teams that would beat any Pokémon type. And now! I am the Pokémon League Champion! Red, do you know what that means? I’ll tell you; I am the most powerful trainer in the world! Not you or Green can stop me now!”

Red didn’t hold back, as did Blue. They used everything they had learned up until this point, all the strategies, the experience, their memories. Maybe because Red had so much riding on this battle, he could feel the emotions of his Pokémon even more clearly than before.

_“Red, let’s do this! We can still fight!”_

_“Master, unleash our full potential! We can still go on!”_

_“Red, don’t hesitate! Strike when the opponent’s down, you know that!”_

_“Master, please believe in me. In the meantime, don’t forget the food you promised to get after we win!”_

_“Master, I will not disappoint you. Let us fight until the very end!”_

He couldn’t let them down. They went through so much together; he wasn’t going to lose here.

Not to Blue. Not to anyone.

The moment Char struck a burning hot flamethrower that scorched Blastoise’s skin, Red knew. As the tortoise slowly flew to the ground, pained cries escaping from his mouth, Red raised his head to look at a devastated expression.

He had won.

He was the champion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this a long time ago, and I thought to upload it just because. Always thought it'd be cool if the player could actually communicate with Pokemon, so this is basically a wish-fulfillment fic with lots of interactions between the main characters of Pokemon. 
> 
> By the way, the characters are a mix between their game self, the Pokemon Adventures manga self, and maybe the anime. 
> 
> I'm going to try to upload the stories from Kanto to Galar, but some parts are kind of fuzzy so I'll be relying on Bulbapedia to refresh my memory lol. Hope you have fun reading!


	2. Red: II

When he met Green again back in Pallet Town, enthusiastic to tell her about his new achievement, he found her lying on the ground in that flower patch alone. Red was surprised; he didn’t expect Clefy to leave her side. She was staring up at the sky blankly, unmoving. He entered her sight of vision, looking at her questionably from above.

“Ah, Red? Welcome home,” she mustered a smile, but it was weak. “Why don’t you lie down with me? It feels nice.”

He nodded, a little unsure, but did so anyway. Pika jumped off his shoulder, tilting his head at Red.

_“Red?”_

Red pursed his lips before nodding hesitantly. Pika saluted and ran off, most likely into the backyard of his house. He wasn’t sure of what Green was going to talk about, but he had a feeling she would like a little privacy.

They both stared up at the sky. It was slowly turning orange with a tint of red, a beautiful sunset.

“…Red?”

He shifted his head to look at her. She turned to look at him, and Red could see how tired she was. There were bags under her brown eyes, and she looked weary.

What happened to her?

“Do you think I’m weak?” Her voice was small, unusually quiet. He shook his head immediately; Green was one of the strongest people he knew. He admired her loving nature; didn’t she know that?

She continued speaking. “Blue does. He told me, right at the start of Victory Road. I thought he was just being a jerk as usual, but then he started going off about how I would never be able to beat him, or you. I know it’s what he does, but I guess…I kind of let him get to me. I just barely managed to scrape by Cinnabar and couldn’t even get the last badge. I wanted to send you two off at Victory Road you know, at least cheer you guys on because I knew you would make it. Haha, maybe Blue was in a bad mood or something? I don’t know.”

She narrowed her eyes, her lips quivering. Red reached out, stroking the side of her face. Her light auburn hair was soft, her skin just as silky as well. She smiled a little, closing her eyes as she leaned into his touch.

“Red?” She whispered. “Do you know? Your eyes, they look like the sky right now. Like a sunset. They’re really pretty. When did they get so red?”

He didn’t know what she was talking about; he didn’t have red eyes, but he didn’t say anything. He just lied there with her in silence, his hand slowly leaving her face and connecting with her hand.

* * *

When Blue came by his house another day, he looked different. He looked calmer, more relaxed, but it didn’t stop Red’s feeling of wanting to punch him in the face.

“Woah, woah, calm down!” Blue held up his hands as Red glared at him. “Man, I don’t know what got your undies in a twist, but I just came over to…uh,” he glanced away, running his hand through his hair. “…apologize.”

Red narrowed his eyes at him, Pika doing the same in his lap.

_“Red, should I zap him? Just a tiny bit!”_

As tempted as he was, he shook his head. He didn’t want to haul a fried body outside of the house. Red gestured to the spot next to him, inviting Blue to sit. The brown-haired boy looked uncomfortable but shuffled over anyway. When he did so, they sat together in silence; Red waiting for Blue to initiate the conversation.

“So, how’s the weather doing?” Blue started clumsily. “Pretty good, don’t you think?”

Red glared at him again.

“Ack, fine, fine! Look, I’m sorry, okay? I just wanted to say that before you leave for the Indigo Plateau, you being the stupid champion and all.” Blue scratched the back of his head, looking away with a furrow on his brow. Red raised his own eyebrow, looking very, very skeptical.

“I know I was being a hotheaded asshole for most of our journey,” Blue mumbled. “I said a lot of things I didn’t mean – of course I meant a lot of it too I’m just saying – and, I took Gramp’s advice. I tried talking to my team properly, listen to them and all. And well, something…happened.”

Red tilted his head. Blue finally looked at him, his expression serious. It was then when Red finally noticed something he should have seen before.

Blue’s eyes that were once a chestnut color, had a faint blue tint in them.

“I…heard them. Their voices. I could understand them.”

* * *

After that shocking revelation, Red decided to look more into his abilities. Or rather, his and Blue’s.

Recalling that Green had mentioned his own eyes, Red dashed to his bathroom and squinted at the mirror. It was true; his eyes were a dark red, something that made him wonder how he had never noticed it before. He discussed this with his team; they were as clueless as he was. But when he checked each of their eyes, he was shocked to find there was a red tint to them as well, although not as prominent as his. Char and Pika had the reddest out of all of them, and Lass’s were the faintest.

Even after returning to the Indigo Plateau, Red continued researching about his Resonance. Of course, he trained as well, mostly staying close to the League. Sadly, the only reliable source he had was Mr. Fuji, who didn’t know much either.

Red went through books and books, stayed back late in libraries, and even visited the Pokémon Mansion, but found nothing. He gave up trying to find the secrets behind it soon enough – researching was never his forte after all – and focused on improving the bond between him and his team.

Blue, however, was not like Red. His curiosity got the better of him, and he spent hours and hours researching at Professor Oak’s lab. It was then when the old man mentioned about a new fascinating discovery in Kalos, something about the bond between a trainer and Pokémon and ‘Mega Evolution’. Blue immediately latched onto the idea and was quick to ask his grandfather to send him to Kalos for a study trip. He agreed, and Blue was supposed to set off immediately, but unfortunately the League had requested for him to be a gym leader at the Viridian Gym. It was a long process of meetings and such that Red nearly fell asleep at most of them, but it was decided that Blue would run the gym for at least three years before heading off to Kalos.

Green, he wondered, what was she doing? He hadn’t heard of her after he last saw her at Pallet Town. He hoped she was doing okay, and that she managed to make amends with Blue.

However, when Blue told him he didn’t even see her at Pallet Town, he got worried. He requested a short leave from the League and travelled around Kanto, searching for her. Blue, seeing how frantic Red was and feeling guilty himself, decided to do what he could while running his currently rebuilding gym.

They couldn’t find her. Even after two weeks of searching, they couldn’t even spot a trace of her.

It was finally the third week when Red managed to catch a ray of hope. He was in Vermillion when a small Farfetch’d walked up to him, handing him a letter.

_“A pretty girl told me to give this to a boy with black hair and red eyes! I’m guessing it’s you, so take it!”_

He thanked the bird and gave him a pat and some berries. He squawked gratefully and left with a satisfied look. Red opened the letter and recognized Green’s handwriting immediately, his eyes scanning the contents.

The letter dropped to the ground as Red stared at it in shock.

Green was gone. She left Kanto.

A small thought crept into his mind; a memory of her looking up at the sky with a blank face and tired eyes.

_“Red, do you think I’m weak?”_

“…Green.”

* * *

He requested a long, long leave from the League a few months later. The Elite Four was surprised when he bowed his head down to them, asking to leave the Plateu in their care.

Lance patted his shoulder firmly. “Go on. You’re still young with plenty to learn, it would be unfair to chain you to one place. Visiting another region would be good for you.”

Red thanked the red-haired man from the bottom of his heart and left. He set his sights on Johto, making sure to prepare lots of food and healing items. Unlike most people, he decided he wouldn’t take the train or plane. He’d travel on foot, like he used to. He needed to clear his mind anyway, it was mess of so many thoughts.

Blue had called him a few weeks after he started his trip. He didn’t sound very happy.

“Why didn’t you tell me, you idiot?! It’s not fair, how come you get to abandon your post while I’m still stuck here? I could just leave the gym to someone else – hey, I said put that tile over there, that arrow should be facing right – argh, no, that one’s supposed to be over there –”

Red hung up. He sounded like he was having fun. Blue loved being in control after all, maybe being a gym leader would be good for him after all.

Johto was fun. He went all over the region, meeting many people and Pokémon. The people over there had a different culture and style of speaking; it was all so unique to Red and his team. He couldn’t count the number of times Pika attempted to speak in a Johto dialect, and even Char and Snor tried to do a comedy routine they saw in real life. Lass and Vee were more interested in the Kimono Girls; he saw them trying to mimic them when they were out camping one night. His team were all so cute; he thought fondly in his heart.

He didn’t challenge any gyms this time; although he loved battling, he wanted to stay clear of it for a while. He didn’t need any attention drawn to him, and if people saw that he had sixteen badges out of all things, he wouldn’t get any peace. Luckily, not many people here cared about the new champion in Kanto, so he was safe.

His mother and Blue called often. Despite him not talking much (or at all), they didn’t seem to mind. His mother was just happy to see him doing well, and Blue did what he was good at; talking about himself.

His travel around Johto came to a close when he stumbled upon Mt. Silver. Or rather, when he saw the person he wanted to meet for a long, long time.

Green.

 _“Red!”_ Pika shouted happily. _“It’s Green! Green!”_

He rushed up to her, grabbing hold of her hand as she yelped in shock. She turned back, her brown eyes meeting his, and Red pulled her in to hug her. She froze up, her arms stiffening. Red paused and looked down at her questionably, wondering why she wasn’t hugging him back.

“…Red, let go.”

He was taken aback by the coldness in her voice. Pika even stopped moving on his shoulder. He hesitantly did so, stepping back to look at her. Her outfit had changed, she switched from wearing blue shorts to a red skirt, and she had a white and red hat on. She was gripping the strap of her bag tightly, her knuckles white.

He waited for her to speak. Unfortunately, what came out of her mouth was not what he had expected.

“…Why did you come here?” she mumbled.

…What?

She raised her head, her tears in her gaze, frustration and anger evident. “I’m not going back, Red. I don’t want to see you, or that stupid Blue for the rest of my life. Go away!”

She turned, but Red wasn’t having any of that. He reached out to her, gripping her wrist. She flinched, flipping her head to look at him and faltered.

“…Why?” He whispered.

She bit her lip, averting her gaze. “…Leave me alone, Red.”

“Why?” He pressed.

“I said, leave me alone!”

He shook his head. “No.”

She glared at him; her face twisted in an emotion he never saw on her. “Then stay here for all I care! I’m leaving!”

She released a Pokémon, one that he hadn’t seen in a long while; Clefy. The fairy Pokémon looked at him, her eyes sad as she touched Red’s arm.

 _“I’m sorry, Red,”_ Clefy spoke. _“But please listen to her. She’s not ready to talk to you, or Blue yet. Please give her some time.”_

Time for what? What did he do?

Clefy stared up at him. _“Please, Red. Let go of Green.”_

He did, his hand limping to his side. Green recalled Clefy, glaring at him one more time, before stomping off to the exit. He couldn’t do anything but watch her leave, the icy air of the mountain stinging his skin.

 _“…Red?”_ Pika reached up to Red’s face, wiping the tears away. _“Are you okay?”_

No, he was not.

* * *

He lost track of time.

His days mostly consisted of battling wild Pokémon and exploring Mt. Silver. There was always another cave, another hoard of Pokémon, and much more to see. He wasn’t so sure why he was so fixated on the snowy mountain, but he didn’t care. He just pushed on.

However, when he collapsed one day due to exhaustion, his team had enough.

 _“RED!”_ Pika growled, wrapping a thick blanket around Red’s body in their tent. _“Let’s go home, you’re sick! Even I know that’s not good for you!”_

Red rolled to his side, closing his eyes. Unfortunately, he wasn’t left alone.

 _“Master, I have to say Pika is right,”_ Char rumbled, curling his tail around Red. The warmth from the fire type felt good to Red, and despite his disagreement, he snuggled closer to the dragon. _“We cannot proceed while your body is weak. The best option would be is to go home.”_

Red didn’t respond.

 _“Red,”_ Vee hissed, curling her body around his neck, her fur soft and silky to the touch. He buried his face into her coat. _“You better go back or so help me, I’ll use a damn Psychic just to carry you, and you know how that feels.”_

Red mumbled.

Snor and Lass were in their balls, but he could hear the disappointment from them. Maybe they were right, it said a lot when the parents of his team were shaking his head at him. But he didn’t want to. He didn’t know why.

Maybe it was because of Green. The way she talked, the way she changed, the way she brushed him off. Maybe it was because he didn’t want to see anybody, and he just wanted some peace and quiet in his life. Mt. Silver was devoid of people. He liked that.

He felt himself dozing off, and the day turned into night.

* * *

He met a trainer for the first time on the mountain.

The trainer was a boy who looked around the same age as him. He had a black and yellow cap on with goggles and was looking at him in shock. Red turned away from the view of Kanto from the mountain top, tilting his head in greeting. The winds blew, ruffling his thicker red coat.

“Are you…a trainer?” The boy asked, hesitation evident. Red almost snorted, but he held it in as Pika rolled his eyes from his shoulder.

_“Are you a trainer he says. Do I look like some kind of Poké doll?”_

Red patted Pika’s head.

_“Well, I mean I am adorable – but that’s not the point! Anyway, let’s get this show on the road, Red!”_

Pika jumped off his shoulder, electricity crackling, and fangs bared. Red raised his cap a little, meeting eyes with the boy with an astonished look on his face. He held out a Pokéball, waiting.

The boy’s eyes sharpened immediately, and a chill ran down Red’s spine. His eyes were a faint shade of gold mixed with black, and somehow, that felt familiar.

“My name is Ethan,” he said as he released his first partner, a Typlosion. It – he – roared loudly, his cries echoing throughout the barren mountain as the flames on his neck burned brightly. “What’s yours?”

The corner of Red’s lips lifted slightly.

“Red.”

* * *

The days on the mountain weren’t so solitary anymore. The boy – Ethan – visited him a lot. He didn’t know why he did so, surely, he had more important things to do, but he came anyway. Every time he did so, they started off with a battle at the top of Mt. Silver, before retreating to a nearby cave to avoid the hail. They would then hunker down and start a small fire, setting up their own tents, letting their Pokémon out and talk.

Ethan’s team was interesting. Unlike the peaceful and gentle boy, they were quite rowdy and energetic. Explo – his Typlosion – had the loudest voice, as he expected when he first heard it.

 _“Hey dude, how’d you get your flamethrower to be that hot?”_ Typlo asked Char, munching on a sitrus berry.

_“A lot of training. That’s all we’ve been doing after all.”_

_“You mean, you’re just cooped up n’ ‘ere?”_ Nifty – Ethan’s Crobat – flapped about. _“Don’t you get cold? Of course, I don’t mean you or Lass, I mean Pika and the rest!”_

 _“I think it’s admirable,”_ Floof – Ethan’s Ampharos – chimed in. _“Not many trainers are able to beat our master after all. Mister Red is really amazing.”_

 _“Ethan’s too nice, that’s the problem.”_ Shizu – Ethan’s unnaturally red Gyarados – rumbled from the small lake next to them. _“If he shaped up a little more, he’d definitely be stronger than Red.”_

 _“Oh, shut it you overgrown fish,”_ Vee intervened, curling her tail around Red’s waist. _“Red’s the champion of Kanto, and we’re his strongest. He’d crush Ethan anytime.”_

 _“Now, there’s no need for bickering, eh?”_ Sumo – Ethan’s jolly Sudoudo – patted Vee’s head, who growled lightly at him. _“Come, come, the new batch of roasted berries are ready! First come first served!”_

Their Pokémon cheered loudly, all reaching for their share. Red looked on with fondness, sharing a glance with Ethan next to him, who was feeding his newly born baby Pichu with a milk bottle. Ethan chuckled as well, gently cradling the Pokémon when he finished drinking.

 _“I wanna ‘ave ‘hat too!”_ He complained, reaching out his stubby little paws. Pika cooed at the sight, rubbing his cheeks to the Pichu’s.

_“Oh my god, he’s adorable! Was I this cute as a kid, Red?!”_

Red shrugged.

_“Oh right, we met like this – but come on, Buzz might be the cutest baby in all of the world! No, in history!”_

“Glad to know you think my kid’s the cutest, Pika,” Ethan laughed and petted the mouse. Red stared at the Pichu, who was babbling about nonsensical things, and Ethan nudged Red with his elbow, a grin on his face.

“You wanna try holding ‘im? I bet ya gonna love it.”

Red nodded quickly. Ethan snorted once more, before gently handing Red the baby. Buzz latched onto Red with curious eyes, his small paws reaching up to boop Red’s nose.

 _“You wook wike ‘than,”_ Buzz warbled in curiosity. _“A’e you Wed?”_

Red nodded, a smile growing on his face as he softly nuzzled the Pichu. Buzz squealed in joy, patting the teen’s face as small sparks came out from his pink cheeks.

“…Well darn, might be first time I saw Red with a smile like that. Ya think I should hand him more babies, huh Pika?”

_“More cuteness for me!!”_

Maybe having someone around wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

* * *

“I FINALLY FOUND YOU, YOU ASSHOLE!”

Nope scratch that – people sucked, he needed to out the hell out of here right now –

“DON’T YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST RUN – Alakazam, use Psychic!”

Crap, now he really couldn’t run.

 _“Let go of him!”_ Vee growled below him, a shadow ball mustering in her jaw.

 _“I’m sorry, but an order from Master Blue is absolute,”_ Alakazam spoke. He slowly set Red down, who was still in running position, but the pink glow around him didn’t fade. _“Master Red, I suggest you give up trying to flee. You know how Master Blue is. Resistance is futile.”_

Red, unfortunately, knew that better than anyone.

Blue marched over to him and grabbed his collar, shaking him back and forth. “It’s been THREE years! Goddamn it, were you holed up in this place the ENTIRE TIME?!”

 _“THREE YEARS?!”_ Pika gaped at his side. _“We were gone for THREE HUMAN YEARS?! That’s like, really long, right? Char?”_

Char wasn’t faring any better. _“Master, for three – I cannot believe this. This is more than losing track of time!”_

Lass closed her eyes in defeat. _“I am sorry, three years for a human is much shorter for us. I merely expected us to be gone for a year at best…”_

Snor snored in the background. Vee was rooted to the ground, the shadow ball half formed in her mouth sinking to the ground. Red averted his eyes to the side, even with Blue’s rough shaking.

“Come on, even your team’s in shock!” Blue pressed, his strangely blue tinted eyes glowing with anger. “You can’t do this, Red! You can’t just disappear off the face of the earth and – and abandon us for, may I repeat again, three whole years!”

Red couldn’t say anything back. There was nothing he could.

“Um…did I come at a bad time?”

Their attention was stolen by the capped boy who had sheepishly walked in on them. Ethan was rubbing the back of his head, looking between the enraged Blue and slightly floating Red.

Blue widened his eyes in shock, before turning back to Red. “You’re friends with this guy?! And you – Ethan – you never even bothered to tell me?!”

“Woah, woah, hold up!” Ethan raised his arms. “I didn’t even know that mister Blue knew Red at all! I mean, I knew Red was the champion, I just figured his situation was similar to mine…and I’m honestly not one to snitch. I figured if he were in here, he didn’t want me goin’ around telling people I knew him.”

Red nodded and gave Ethan a thumbs up. The boy always knew the right thing to do. He was glad to have him as a friend.

Blue shook Red even harder, making him dizzy. “That’s not the point! He isn’t just the damn champion, he’s my friend! And you don’t ghost a guy for three years– and without even calling your own mother! She was worried as hell, and– and– GAH, I can’t even!”

He pushed Red away and snapped his fingers. “Alakazam, let this loser go, he doesn’t deserve to be touched with your power!”

Alakazam complied. _“As you wish, master Blue.”_

“Good! Thanks for your hard work!” Blue recalled the Pokémon. As angry as Blue was, Red was glad to see that he was communicating with his team more. He could see a few changes as well, the boy had grown taller, his face a little more mature, and when he wasn’t shouting at Red, he swore he could see a soft look in those blue eyes when he faced his own Pokémon.

Of course, that look wasn’t present when he swiveled back to glare at Red. Red dipped his head and buried his nose in the collar of his coat, looking away.

“Umm…This may not really be the right time for me, so should I leave?” Ethan pointed to the exit of the cave behind him. “I wanted to give Red a small present, but I can always do it later.”

Blue glared at Red, crossing his arms and tapping his foot. Red nodded apologetically at Ethan, who got the hint and smiled, tipping his own cap. The younger trainer left the two of them, but not before leaving them a small quip.

“Now, please don’t fight too badly, you wouldn’t want to injure your beloved, mister Blue!”

Blue’s face erupted in a burning red, something Red himself found very amusing to see.

“Shut up, Ethan! I’m not his fucking – next time you visit my gym, I’ll give you a beating you’ll never forget!!”

He could hear Ethan’s soft laughter, but Red smothered his own. He knew the boy didn’t mean anything by it, he just said that to lighten the mood. Ethan was too nice to tease people like that.

Red stood up, brushing the dust off his clothes, before reaching out a hand for Blue to take. The teen was still blushing, and he huffed as he turned away from the invite.

“Don’t patronize me, Red. Save that sappy stuff when Green’s with us,” Blue grumbled, roughly shoving his hands into his pockets.

 _“Blue’s shy, Blue’s shy!”_ Pika chanted teasingly. Char snorted, flames coming out from his nostrils as Lass giggled. Snor was finally awake, and Vee was grumbling under her breath as she stuck close to the big Pokémon.

“I am NOT – just recall your team already, Red.” Blue hissed as he faced him, the red on his face gone.

“We have to talk.”

And talk they did.

* * *

After a lot of shouting, arguing and some face slapping (and tears, although no matter how much Pika teased him and Blue about it, they would never admit it), they finally settled on an agreement.

Blue was going off to Kalos to finally get a move on that study trip he had planned since he was eleven. Red would join him a few months later after going back to Pallet Town to spend some time with his mother.

His mother was crying when she finally saw him. He felt guilty, he really did. He didn’t even know what prompted him to stay in that mountain for so long. If it wasn’t for Blue, he might not have even left for another five years or so.

Blue told him it was time to go back.

Maybe it really was.

* * *

“So, you’re leaving for Kalos?”

“…”

“I see. Well, you know ya always welcome back. Hop by the daycare sometime would you? I have a ton of baby Pokémon to show you, and Lyra’s been wanting to meet you ever since I told her there’s a really strong trainer alone in Mt. Silver. That reminds me, here, I wanted to give ya this before. Keep it warmed and safe, okay? A small going away present from me – and well, technically, Lyra. It came from her Pokémon after all, haha.”

“…. ….”

“Yeah, see you soon, Red. Have a happy trip!”

* * *

Kalos was...interesting.

He couldn’t understand the language at all, but Blue had apparently studied it when he was in Kanto. Red didn’t think he would ever rely on the teen for a simple thing as journeying around a region. Then again, he also had no idea how to take care of a Pokémon egg, so Blue was relied on anyways.

He saw many new Pokémon that sent his blood pumping. Pika was excited to see a Dedenne, saying it looked like him. Char loved flying across the skies, talking to the birds that he met. Vee was surprised to see a trainer with a Sylveon who grew strangely attached to her (she hit Red when he told her that it was male despite its feminine appearance). Snor loved the Kalosian cuisine, Lass lavished in the music and festivals. It might have been his imagination, but he swore the egg in his arms was shaking with glee too.

Kalos was fun.

But even then, walking on the streets next to Blue, it felt like something was missing.

* * *

_Crack, crack._

_“Oh my god – it’s happening, it’s happening! Red, the egg’s hatching!!”_

“Okay, Red, put it on a blanket – we don’t want it’s excess dripping everywhere that’s why – no Pika, don’t poke it – oh come on Pidgeot stop coddling it and let the thing breathe!”

_“But Master, as a bird, it is in my blood to–”_

“Bird or not, it’s hatching! Give it some room for Arceus’ sake! And Red, stop panicking, it’s going to be fine!”

“… …!!”

_“Red, Red, look! The shell it’s–”_

_Crack._

_“…Chiko?”_

“…Chiko. Red.”

“That’s seriously what you’re going with huh.”

_“Shut up Blue, it’s perfect!”_

* * *

They finally returned to Kanto after three years, mega evolution bracelets safely tucked away in Blue’s briefcase. Red had his fair share of looking at mega stones, as well as receiving the stones for the Kanto starters from Professor Sycamore. The friendly Kalosian had taking a liking to the two of them, but honestly, Red was a little tired from all the friendliness. In his opinion, Kalosians were a little too touchy for his taste.

When he returned to his home, he expected his mother to smother him in hugs as well. He was not disappointed.

“Red, it’s good to see you home!” His mother wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close. Red let out a sigh of relief, hugging her back. Pika squeaked in glee and hopped onto his mother’s shoulder. “Oh, it’s good to see you too Pika!”

_“Moooom! We’re hoooome!”_

His mother laughed, pulling away from Red. “Red, I made your favorite for dinner! And don’t worry, I didn’t forget your team of course! How’s the baby doing? Is she doing well? Oh, I was so worried, you’ve never taken care of anything younger than yourself after all–”

A Pokéball popped open from Red’s belt, and a small green Pokémon appeared. She let out a small cry before clawing gently at Red’s leg. Seeing her adorable eyes widen up at him, Red couldn’t help but bend down to carry her, his hand gently patting her head.

 _“Papa, I’m hungry!”_ Chiko whined, butting her forehead against Red’s chest. _“What’s for dinner?”_

“Oh, she’s adorable!” His mom cooed and reached out a hand to pet her. Chiko preened at the attention, nuzzling into her hand.

 _“Papa, who’s this?”_ Chiko chirped. Red gently whispered. “Chiko, Mom.”

 _“Hi, mom!”_ Chiko greeted.

His mother giggled in return, lightly pressing her mouth to Chiko’s forehead. “I’m glad to see you’re taking good care of her, Red. Now, you and your team must be hungry! Let’s eat, shall we?”

Red’s Pokémon cheered in their balls.

 _“Yeah!”_ Pika pumped his tiny fists. _“It’s time for food in my belly!”_

* * *

Red spent the next two years only in Kanto, and he was proud to say that he did not coop up on a mountain even once.

Chiko had evolved into a beautiful Meganium, but her bubbly personality stayed even as she grew older. Vee was something like a baby-sitter in Chiko’s early stage, and sadly, the habit of charging and jumping at her ‘nanny’ didn’t change either. Vee had to use many Psychics to survive, and though Red felt a little bad for her, he didn’t want to be squashed underneath a dinosaur either. Chiko got along well with the others too, mostly treating them like older brothers and sisters, and Red had the pleasure of watching his team grew tighter as time ticked by.

He retook his throne as the Kanto champion, even staying at the Plateu a few days a week. Of course, nobody really managed to get pass the elite four in the first place, but he tried to convince himself that it was the thought that counted. Pika mostly snored off whenever they had a meeting, something that Red was very envious of.

He also returned to Pallet town every weekend, making sure to spend time with his mother. To his surprise, on a routinely trip to Pallet town, he witnessed three new children moving into the small town with their families. They eagerly introduced themselves to him, and Red found himself suddenly taking Elaine, Trace and Chase under his wing. Mostly because the three children were very persistent and persuasive, and partly because he could see Green, Blue and himself in them.

Considering his friendships, he thought he wasn’t doing too bad. He tried to call Ethan at least once a week, though the other boy was much better at that. Ethan would call whenever something interesting happened, and Red grew to learn more about the daycare and a girl named Lyra (he still hasn’t met her despite Chiko coming from her Meganium). Sometimes Ethan talked about a boy named Silver whom he met every other day too.

He saw Blue quite often, as the teen regularly came back to Pallet town to visit Daisy and his grandfather. He would stop by Red’s house to poke fun at him and to also make sure he didn’t go off the radar without telling anyone again (Geez Blue, he wasn’t eleven anymore). Blue still kept his trademark phrase and smug smirk, but the sharp edges were slowing getting softer. Very rarely, he also participated in Red’s attempts at coaching the three kids in the art of Pokémon battles, but he mostly stayed on the sideline to laugh at him.

There was one time where Blue called both him and Ethan to talk about their shared power. Green once called it a ‘Resonance’, a name that him and Blue agreed to use. Ethan didn’t know the reasoning behind it, but he claimed that he liked it. He also mentioned that he knew two other trainers that were probably the same as them, though he didn’t drop their names. Blue had apparently been looking through his research (in the end, Red didn’t really know if the trip to Kalos helped them or not) and managed to find a few points that matched up.

However, in the end, they still didn’t really know why this all happened, only that it did. They didn’t know why all three of their eye colors differed, they didn’t even know what the Resonance was exactly, and they had no idea how to find that out. Red gave up on it a long time ago, opting to just to go with the flow, and Ethan agreed nonchalantly. Blue became frustrated at them, to their confusion.

Green was absent in his life, but he never forgot their last conversation at Mt. Silver. He still remembered the way she smiled, the way she seemed to light up any room she entered, even if Green herself didn’t know that. She was struggling and Red wanted to help, but he had no idea how he could. He didn’t even know how to contact her anymore.

He asked Blue once, but he had only shaken his head. Red saw the flash of guilt and sadness in the other teen’s face, and that was enough to prompt Red to reach over to give his rival a short hug.

So, two years passed by quicker than Red thought it would. Maybe it was because he had three new hyper children to look after, or because he was actually busy doing things other than training. Red was settling into his life, but a small part of him wondered whether he would be able to travel across unfamiliar lands ever again.

Then, a small opportunity appeared to him in the form of an invitation. More specifically, an invitation to the Pokémon World Tournament that was going to held in another region named Unova. All the gym leaders were invited, which meant that Blue would be present as well.

It didn’t take much for him to say yes.

_“YEEESS!!! We’re going to Unova, we’re going to Unova! Red, where’s Unova??”_

_“Pika, calm down, Master is looking at the map already.”_

_“Red, you’re holding that thing upside down. Even I can see that.”_

_“Hmm, I wonder what kind of food I can eat there?”_

_“Oh, Chiko, I know you’re excited, but please do not try to jump on my shell.”_

_“Papa, papa! What’s Unova? Does it taste good? Will we have fun?”_

With much encouragement, Red managed to catch a plane properly since Blue forced him to ride one (“No Red, you can’t walk to Unova, are you crazy?! Get on a plane for once in your damn life!”).

He was excited, the most he was after he came down from Mt. Silver.

* * *

Widened eyes met another. Red and blue clashed with green and everything around them seemed to stop in that very moment.

A small breath, rasped and wispy, escaped him.

“…Green?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this concludes Red’s part! The Kanto trio are the oldest in the MC gang, so they have so many adventures and it was too much to shove it all in one chapter, haha. Of course, they come back in SM, so they’ll appear in Serene and Elio’s chapter later on! The next two chapters are going to be bonuses from Green and Blue’s perspective, so I hope you’ll enjoy them!
> 
> P.S. Below lies Blue’s notes about their super special power I cut out because this was getting too long:
> 
> 1\. One who had awakened their Resonance (called an ‘Awakened’ from now on) could converse with Pokémon. However, at the early stages, an Awakened could only understand their teammates and not wild Pokémon. Additionally, by having a teammate outside of their ball and by an Awakened side, the speech through the wild Pokémon would most likely be translated through their teammate to the Awakened. (That was probably why Red could understand more Pokémon after bonding with Pika.)
> 
> 2\. The Resonance seemed to activate at a random time, but most likely during a potentially life-changing experience between human and Pokémon. (Red’s meeting with Char, Blue opening his heart to his team, etc.) Additionally, when one awakened their Resonance at an early stage, they would feel a strong connection towards a select few Pokémon if they weren’t partners yet.
> 
> 3\. The stronger the Resonance grew, the eye color of the Awakened and their teammates would change. The longer a Pokémon had been with an Awakened, the more vivid the color would be.


	3. Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story of Blue: Kanto edition

Blue wasn’t quite sure what had happened. He was sure though, that what was occurring in front of him wasn’t supposed to happen.

It was supposed to be the start of a perfect day. Gramps had told him that he had brought three Pokémon for him and his lackeys for the start of their journey. He was finally going on his very own journey! He was going to catch the strongest Pokémon ever and beat the best trainer in the region. He was going to be the champion. For that, he was going to pick the best starter.

Or at least, that was what was supposed to happen.

When gramps released the three Pokémon from their Pokéballs, Blue had sized each of them up. A Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur. Not bad choices. The Squirtle had looked around, almost uneasily. The Bulbasaur had let out a wide yawn and grunted in content. Blue took it off his list immediately; laid back Pokémon who had no drive weren’t needed on his team. The one that grabbed his attention the most was the Charmander, but it wasn’t because it was big or had a mean glare in its eyes.

No, it was because the moment the small fire lizard was released from its ball, it had looked straight at Red. Red was staring at it in response, his hazel eyes wide open and his mouth slightly ajar. It was the most expressive Blue had ever seen the eleven-year-old boy.

And for some reason, it unnerved him.

“So, each of you take a turn, will you?” Gramps said cheerfully. “Remember, Blue, Green, no fighting. We don’t need another ketchup incident happening all over again, do we?”

Blue spotted Green flushing lightly as she stuck his tongue out at him. Blue huffed and crossed his arms, looking away.

“Why don’t we let Red pick first?” Green suggested. “Smelly-face and I will just fire-water-grass to decide who goes next.”

Blue was absolutely not okay with it, but after seeing the reprimanding look on gramp’s face, heagreed reluctantly. Green grinned happily and patted Red’s back, ushering him forward.

“Come on Red, go on!”

Red rushed forward. Apparently, he didn’t need any urging. Neither did the Pokémon. Because the moment Red took a step, the Charmander had practically jumped into the boy’s arms, letting out a sharp cry as it tapped its nose to Red’s.

“ _Char!”_

“…Red” Red’s voice was soft, thin and almost silent. Blue couldn’t believe his ears; it was the first time he properly heard the silent boy’s voice.

The Charmander cried once more, raising its arms and covering Red’s cheeks.

Green practically melted besides Blue, gushing at how cute they looked together. Gramps looked surprised for a second before letting a huge laugh as he patted Red’s back. No one noticed how Blue’s fists had tightened when Charmander leapt into Red’s arms. He knew that they probably brushed his reaction off as one of his moods (despite the number of times he insisted that he was _glaring not pouting stupid Green-)_ , so they didn’t pay much attention.

No one knew that Blue had felt a concerning amount of unease and dread. Like something strange was about to happen. Whether it was good or bad, eleven-year-old him couldn’t tell.

* * *

Blue stared. And stared. And STARED.

Because when he was busy kicking stupid Team Rocket’s ass, an Eevee had just barged into the fray, snarling and tackling every Pokémon in sight to his confusion. Unfortunately, even his own Pidgeotto was caught up the vicious attack, letting out cries as claws dug into its skin.

“Hey, stupid Eevee!” He snapped, recalling Pidgeotto into its ball. “What do you think you’re doing?! This is MY battle–”

A pair of hurried footsteps was heard by the stairs, and lo and behold, annoyingly quiet Red entered the scene. He was panting, wiping off sweat off his chin, and his Pikachu was squeaking loudly.

“Pika pika, pi pika!!”

The Eevee plopped to the ground after Blue retrieved Pigeotto, as it was on top of the bird clawing at its face. “Ee, vee!”

Red finally caught his breath, straightening to meet eyes with Blue. Blue narrowed his own, crossing his arms to glare at the boy.

“You? This is yours?”

The Eevee growled at him. Red knelt down and stared at it without saying a word. Blue scoffed, raising his hands in an annoyed fashion.

“You know, it’s not gonna understand if you just stare at it like that–”

The Eevee let out a slightly dissatisfied sound and reluctantly paddled over to Red. He nodded and patted it, but it let out a snarl and swiped at him. Red didn’t seem to mind though, because he stood up and looked at Blue without a change in expression soon after.

Blue almost gaped at him, but he remembered. He was Blue, and Blue Oak didn’t gap because he was taken off guard. He ran his hand through his hair and flicked it away from his eyes, trying to regain his composure.

“Well, whatever. What’re you here for anyway? Training? Not that I care, but those old hags on the upper floors kept raving about ‘respecting the dead’ and chased me out, so I was just leaving before these stupid – hey, where’d Team Rocket go?”

Red pointed to the stairs behind Blue. He clicked his tongue, so those cowards decided to run off like pussies. Pathetic.

“Looks like I’m done here then…Oh right, wait a minute dude. Don’t think you can just walk past me.” Blue raised a Pokéball and held it out, a smirk taking over his face. “It’s time for a battle. Did you get any stronger since the Anne? Just so you know, I’m not going easy just because you skimped on some training, Red.”

Red nodded and reached for his belt, but the Eevee growled loudly. It took off from Red’s feet and rushed past Blue, heading up the stairs.

“Hey, wait a minute you little–”

Red barreled past him, chasing after his Eevee. The Pikachu followed the duo, but not before sending a look behind its shoulder to smirk at Blue. Or so it seemed like it was making fun of him.

Either way, there was no way he was going to let Red off the hook so easily.

“WAIT UP YOU STUPID MUTE!”

* * *

Green pulled him aside that night, and he was now standing in front of Mr. Fuji’s house while his childhood friend raved about the impossible.

Red…could talk to Pokémon? That was impossible, absurd, an unheard thing. Even after all of that, Blue couldn’t believe what Green was talking about.

“Understand them? What is he, some sort of Pokémon whisperer?” He snapped at her, the light from the moon being the only reason why he could see her in the first place. When Green had shaken him awake in the middle of the night, telling him she had something important to say and dragged him out of here, he wasn’t expecting some stupid thing like that.

Not that he was expecting anything in the first place. Green was just stupid little Greenie who loved weaving flowers into crowns after all.

“It’s true, I know it is,” Green insisted, clasping her hands around his. He balked, taking a step back. His face felt warm as she stared into his eyes with her honey brown ones. “Blue, please believe me. Red’s always been special, but I think he’s special in a more different way. Not just the fact that he doesn’t talk much or that he’s a strong trainer despite only having two, well, three now, Pokémon. He can communicate with them; I know he can.”

Blue groaned, turning his head away from her. “Look, I don’t know what’s gotten into your looney mind, but Red’s just a weirdo. He’s not anything special, he’s just a dude who doesn’t talk! Maybe you have a crush on him or something, but don’t bring me into this!”

Green’s face flushed; but it wasn’t just out of anger. That didn’t sit very well with him for some reason. “I don’t have a crush on Red! He’s my friend, and as much as we fight, you are too! If you were in the same situation as Red, I’d think of you as special!”

Blue’s face grew warm, if only for just a second. “You’d…think that I’m special…?”

Hold on. “Wait a minute, does that mean you don’t think I am now–”

“Anyway!” Green cut in. “I’m gonna talk to Red in the morning, but I think you should know before you run off like always. This is the first time since we left for our journey that we have time for each other, and I don’t want to let this chance go. I…had a lot of fun today. So…thank you, Blue.”

She leaned forward and hugged him briefly, before retreating back into Mr. Fuji’s house. It was only a moment, but Blue caught a whiff of her scent; wildflowers with a hint of honey. Green always smelled sweet.

…What was he talking about? Snap out of it, Blue!

Despite Green’s midnight talk, Blue woke up the earliest, thanked Mr. Fuji for letting them stay at his place (he wasn’t a complete jerk, he had some manners), and left Lavender Town. Crazy talk about Red could be dealt with later. For now, he had goal to accomplish, and that was becoming Kanto’s champion.

Red and Green came second.

* * *

He…lost?

To Red? Red? The weirdo? The quiet one? The one who had stolen Green away from him? The one who had taken Gramp’s attention away from Blue, his own grandson? The one who had everything from the start?

He lost.

To Red.

He couldn’t help it; a dry snort escaped his mouth. Of course, he lost. He always did, all the times he battled Red so far, he’d never won. Why’d he think he’d win now?

He didn’t even know why he said those words to Green at Victory Road anymore. Why did he say that? That she was just a weak excuse for a trainer? That no matter what she did, she would never catch up to him or Red?

He was just tired of being told, ‘Red this’, ‘Red that’. It was always Red.

Why was it always Red?

Gramps had come to congratulate on Blue becoming champion, but too bad it was after Red had beaten him. Gramps told him that he didn’t know how to love his Pokémon, and that was why he lost. Everything else was a blur, he was escorted out of the League, and before he knew it, he was back home in Pallet Town. Daisy had welcomed him back, but after a warm hug, she had left him to his devices. His sister always knew how to read his moods. He was thankful for that.

He plopped down on his bed, letting out a deep sigh as he covered his eyes. He could still remember the way Red had looked during their fight. His hazel (maybe it was the trick of the light, but sometimes he swore they glinted red) eyes were narrowed, full of fire and passion, completely different from his usual self. His mouth was set in a tight frown; it barely moved at all despite his Pokémon dishing out move after move. Was that what Green had talked about? That Red could communicate with Pokémon somehow? Didn’t she say that he could just understand what they said, not telepathic abilities? He didn’t know.

Did he want to know? After all, his dream of being the strongest was gone. Strength was first, Red and Green second was what he told himself a few months back.

He fingered the Pokéballs on his belt. Taking a deep breath, he pressed the button on a Pokéball, letting out the first Pokémon he had stuck with since the start of his journey; his Blastoise.

Blastoise looked confused when it - he - came out of the ball. He looked wary yet worried, and Blue never really thought much of the fact that the first thing he did was scan his surroundings. His Pokémon was a smart one, why didn't he realize that before?

“Hey, Blastoise,” he called out, pushing himself upwards on his bed. Blastoise looked at him questionably, tilting his head. Blue let out a small sigh, ruffling his hair in frustration.

“Look, I’m not used to this. I’ve never even thought of doing something like this but…things happen. I…I’m going to try,” he murmured, suddenly unable to look at his Pokémon in the eye. “I know I haven’t been the best trainer ever. Going on and on about how I’m the strongest in the world when the strongest in Kanto was by the side all this time, you guys probably think I’m a joke. I…really don’t blame you guys. I’m…sorry, that I never gave you the treatment you deserve, especially since you’ve been nothing but great to me ever since the first day we met.”

Blue crossed his arms, his face strangely hot. The edges of his eyes burned a little, and he sniffed. He wasn’t going to cry, Blue Oak never cried, why weren’t the tears stopping–

Large arms wrapped around Blue. He gulped when he felt the cool skin of his Blastoise touch his. The hug was hesitant, unsure, but for some reason, it was full of warmth that shook Blue to his core. Blastoise crooned lightly, trying to say something.

For the first time in his life, Blue wished he could understand what he was saying.

Blue reached out, wrapping his arms around his Blastoise’s. “I’m sorry,” he choked out. “Sorry.”

Blastoise cried.

Blue’s heart thumped loudly, and so did the heart of his Pokémon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is Blue’s perspective of some things that happened during his journey through Kanto! Next up is Green!


End file.
